~ chicken wings ~ said...
I guess in a sense it's all obvious intellectually, but it's different to experience it and know it for yourself. Personally I'm not the greatest fan of 'positive thinking' and prefer realistic thinking (crap happens ... literally!) but I guess cynicism is not useful either. The only thing I wish I had much more of at the moment is the feeling of close relationships but maybe I can work on that over the next while. I wish you all the best as I do myself especially as we have a new year coming up. Maybe it can be a better 2017 for us all. :)
I've always been that way...."cynical-realistic" I was raised in a very negative environment so that didn't help me or anyone around me, it makes for a very stressful life and possibly down the road of depression and anxiety issues as well. I have found that meditating and being able to become more mindful as a result of daily meditation practice, it has helped me tweak out the negative and still be realistic. I learned that the only thing I can control is my responses to negative issues and to positive ones, not anyone else's and that alone has taken a huge load of stress off....I often remind myself that all of this is temporary on the big scheme of "life" as it is here....and that's what gives me a huge relief to help me get through tougher stuff. So far, for me, it certainly makes a huge difference trading the negative for more of the positive (thoughts, actions, words/mindfulness and consciousness which is the whole of it all), life has all kinds of experiences, they are all temporary just as our physical bodies are...best part is, once the physical ends, so does all the negative....I find that calming so I try and focus on that and it makes a world of difference compared to how the first decade of my life has gone. I've spent a lot of time researching the validity of daily meditation practice on various levels of research out there (NDE's, Mind over Matter, documented physical, mental and emotional benefits of healing, clarity and knowledge, Scientifically, Nature and Spirituality and even Cosmically and so many more interesting and positive connections affirming one another with their connections. Meditation will actually change our physical cells in our own bodies...not to mention the changes in the frontal lobe of the brain's cells and circuitry...pretty amazing and powerful what daily practice benefits there are to it.
This is just my own experience....we all get to make our choices about
whatever we want is basically what it boils down to.